What are good ways to add more light to my living space?

Question

I live in a ground floor condo that faces north. I get great light, but not tons of light and I'd like to add more.

The walls are painted a warm white (oyster I think), which allows me to keep white walls, but not have them stark.

I was told that hiring an electricial to install light fixtures can be costly (I was considering track or recessed lighting).

I'm thinking of trying torchieres since they face up and light the ceiling. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Answer 1

Replacing your current bulbs with higher wattage ones (try 100W) would help a lot. The new compact fluorescent 100W daylight bulbs are really bright. We have 4 in one fan/light fixture, and you cannot look at the bulbs for more than a few moments.

Electricians can be costly, and the type lighting you mentioned may not be the most effective for illuminating an entire room. Track/recessed lighting work well for showcasing/spotlighting certain items/areas of a room.

Upward facing lamps would help.

Answer 2

1] put up a mirror opposite the window in LR, bedroom.
2] get standing or torchieres in pair; and put one on each end of wall across from window.
3] may be worth it to replace lighting in bath, if necessary
4] kitchen - use sheers/lace/eyelet in a white or yellow shade, for valence or curtains.
5] bedroom - get two lamps; use on bed tables if bed faces window; or dresser if dresser faces window; or one on table and one on dresser.
6] get some blinds, panels, or shades that match the walls, or the wood in the room - provides privacy, but can be fully opened to let in a lot of light.
7] consider adding warm colors to dark rooms - yellow, gold, orange, tomato, hot pink.

Answer 3

if you have a very small condo consider other options besides torchieres because they take up floor space

Answer 4

large mirrors will help reflect the light and also add length to a room-especially if they are across the room from the windows (but not directly across from the windows-that would likely cause a lot of glare)

Answer 5

try going for lighter curtains or blinds, maybe something like this.. except in a lighter fabric, it should let in more light.

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/60093968